


Sometimes it snows in April

by Feetlicks



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, And soulmates but platonic, But also badly placed jokes, Everyone Has Issues, Felix and Hyunjin are bamfs, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Hyunjin is a cat shifter, Lee Felix (Stray Kids) is a Sweetheart, M/M, Magic Users, Minho is best boy, Post medieval age but I don't know how to write, Royal Chan and Jisung, Seo Changbin is Whipped, Slow Burn, Some gore beware people, the others come in chapter 2&3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:40:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feetlicks/pseuds/Feetlicks
Summary: The forest’s magic concealed them, enveloping them and giving them shelter from the dangers of the fire and it’s magic.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 20
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to try out a magic au so here it goes. I'll try to make it interesting and there will be lots of angst but also fighting and adventures. Also magic, lots of magic. This will be more centered around Chanlix and Minlix, but Hyunsung and Changjin will also be important.

The village had always been the only thing Felix knew. The beautiful trees and the grass near the forest and the brightest flowers in the meadows, calling to him whenever he searched for berries and leaves for his teas and ointments. The beautiful blues and yellows drawing him in, birds chirping as they flew high in the sky, searching for easy prey.

He could feel the sparkles of magic in the air, licking against his skin as he walked through the forest, grass brushing against his ankles, the nature welcoming him silently. It even looked like the camomiles waved at him as a soft breeze moved them, Felix smiling at the small petals, a basket held in his hand tightly.

The boy had been out, searching for herbs, his basket half full with rolls of camomile and lavender, eyes searching for the familiar shade of yellow, scanning through the meadow and the tall grass. The sun shone brightly, high in the sky and just a few lonely white clouds sitting there. Felix hadn’t seen weather so good for weeks, and he enjoyed the rays of sunshine licking at his cheeks, making his freckles stand out even more.

Wind brushed up against his skin, hair moving softly as he closed his eyes briefly, sun shining brightly, making him smile in response. He always like Aprils and Mays the most. The nature would be blooming and the colours would bleed into each other.

A soft yip could be heard from behind a tree, Felix stopping in his tracks, in front of an enormous oak tree. The branches wide and thick, the tree dating back centuries. Antlers peaked out from behind it, the boy smiling as he watched the deer stare back at him before it bolted away in fright.

A yellow chested tit was perched on one of the branches, chirping as the leaves moved with the rhythm of the wind. Felix snapped his fingers in the air, a dull green sparkle lingering at his fingertips, sharing a small smile in the direction of the bird as it chirped again. The grass licked against his skin as he stepped over a bush, careful to not prick his fingers as he cut off some thin branches with his knife.

The sun was starting to set, prompting the boy to turn out, disappointment filling him up as he looked down at his basket. “Guess I’ll have to come back tomorrow?” The bird on the branch chirped back as if it could understand Felix and his eyes shone liquid gold as he turned around to glance at the tree one last time. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Another spark of green traveled from his fingertips, melting into thin air, painting a small patch of it next to his head a soft mint before vanishing. Felix could feel a shiver running down his spine as his magic whizzed around him for a few moments and then blended with the nature. The ground underneath his feet grumbled softly before settling down, grass once against moving against his ankles.

The forest moved in sync as Felix walked through it, walked through the familiar path of daisies and forget-me-nots, in between the tall pine and silver fir trees.

The grassy hills lulled Felix into a calmness, the boy remembering all the times he had ran around with the other kids, until the sun would settle and the moon would rise up, the stars shining brightly upon them.

They watched the Aurora lights every winter when the grass was no longer green and was covered with pure white snow, flakes falling all around them. The greens and purples and dark blues swirling around and bringing Felix’s magic out even more. His fingers would tingle and fingertips would paint themselves with a pale green, with a tint of blue as nature called for him.

Felix’s eyes ran all over the hills and the flowers growing in patches, tulips of reds, pinks and purples mixing together to create a beautiful ornament. The path back to the village was as familiar as the back of his hand, every rock and tree stump telling an ancient story. The sun had settled into the clouds, casting oranges and violets over the horizon, a howl in the distance signalling a lone wolf.

He could see the small houses at the entrance of the village, the dirt path ending there and becoming one made out of stone. The lanterns in the windows and hung on the porches leading the way to the boy, stables and barns holding animals Felix was so used to seeing everyday.

The wishing well right in the centre of the village, surrounded by the market place, empty stalls that will be filled up before the sun will even rise. The moon had started to rise, stars barely noticeable as Felix stepped onto the wooden steps leading to his small house. The roof needed some repairing and the walls were thin, but it was home and Felix felt safe whenever he was inside.

The doors were easily unlocked, but Felix didn’t think about it anymore, the village had always been peaceful and apart from petty thieves, no one ever bothered any residents.

He set his basket with herbs and flowers down on the small table in the kitchen, near the pots and the cauldron. The ground cold against his bare feet as he slipped out of his worn out boots, wiggling his toes to get the feeling back.

“Hello Hyunjin, did you miss me?” A black furred cat rubbed against his calf, the head of the creature nuzzling against his leg. Black paws pressed themselves up against his knee, the cat standing up on his hind legs to get more attention.

Felix only had to lean down a bit, the cat jumping up and landing in his arms, nestling against his chest, softly purring as fingers rubbed one of the black ears. Red eyes looked up at the boy, the two of them sharing a look before the human leaned his head down and pressed a fleeting kiss upon the cat’s forehead, chuckling as the animal blinked up at him. The familiar touch of the cat’s nose against his chin made him smile as he let the whiskers brush up against his skin.

“I’ll have to go back to the forest tomorrow again.” The cat purred at that, giving one lick to Felix’s cheek before jumping out of his hands, a deep purple surrounding it’s form as it changed, a human taking up the space next to Felix in seconds.

“But we were going to go to the market tomorrow.” A tall boy with a mole under one of his eyes and plump lips looked down at Felix, the human laughing at the pitiful expression the other was sporting. “You can still go alone? I didn’t find any primroses and I need them for the oil.” “I hate going to the market because the dogs always try to chase me around.”

“I brought some berries for you, I know how much you miss eating them.” Hyunjin’s eyes looked at the basket, the red berries barely noticeable under all the herbs and flowers. Felix moved to the pots, smiling as he saw that Hyunjin had once again kept the fire up, taking out the pot and cutting up some vegetables for the stew.

As he was cutting up the carrot, he saw a speck of blood on the knife, staring down at it and then turning around to look at Hyunjin with both of his eyebrows raised up. “Jinie, what did you do this time?” The shifter laughed nervously and gave him a wide grin afterwards. “A goose might have wandered into the backyard and I, kind of, killed it?”

Felix stared at the other for a few moments, the corners of his lips twitching as Hyunjin stared down at him with a wide smile plastered over his features. “I can’t even stay mad at you-“ Hyunjin laughed at that loudly, interrupting him. “That’s because now we’ll have meat to eat for dinner thanks to me.”

The boy couldn’t really argue with that as he continued with cutting the carrots, Hyunjin running outside to grab the goose he had defeathered and gutted a few hours ago, keeping it outside to dry it out at least a bit. “Just put it on the table, we’ll cut the bird up and put the meat into the stew.” The shifter could smell the vegetables in the air as they were being boiled, cut up potatoes, carrots and leeks making him smile as he sat down on the chair and looked at Felix working through the goose with his palm supporting his chin.

Hyunjin watched every move the magic user made, eyes twinkling with a soft shade of reddish brown as he tilted his head to the side.

The two of them might be an odd pair together, but Hyunjin had stuck to him like glue since three years ago. 

It had been a cold winter day, snow had fallen thick and it crunched under Hyunjin’s feet as he walked through the forest, leaving spots of red after himself on the crystal white ground. The shifter had been on the run for a few days, in his black cat form to be more agile and to save up the magic he was loosing rapidly. His paw hurt as it made contact with the ground, holding in the soft meows that were threatening to spill out.

Hyunjin had been reckless. He had been foolish and trusted another shifter, and that turned out to be his downfall. He had trusted a shifter only to be brought to a collector, someone who looked at his paws and put a price on his small claws. Someone who threw his cat form into a cage and held him there for almost a week before he came to take his claws.

The shifter had been reckless as he tried to fight back, the collector managing to declaw one of his paws before Hyunjin bit down onto his arm hard, nicking an artery, managing to escape as the human focused on his own injury.

And as one of his paws was declawed, Hyunjin struggled to go through the forest. Luckily he had his other front paw uninjured. The claws being a prized possession as they held the magic of any predator type shifter.

The black cat ran into a boy with a thick worn out fur coat with freckles dusted over his cheeks and nose. Hyunjin had covered into himself as he had no place to run to, backed up into a wide tree. But his red eyes focused on the pale green sparkles of magic on the other’s fingertips, the colour warm and soothing. “I’m not gonna hurt you kitten, I can see that you’re injured.” Hyunjin hissed in fear as the boy stepped closer to him with arms outstretched widely to show that he was not going to attack him.

But Hyunjin had learned his lesson to never trust anyone easily when they tell him that they won’t attack him. So as the boy came closer to him, the cat swiped at his outstretched palm. Slicing it enough to draw blood out.

He covered into himself as the freckled boy flinched in pain, cradling his hand to his chest, tainting the fur with a few droplets of blood. “Okay, okay. Calm down kitten, I just want to help you.” The hair at the back of Hyunjin’s cat form stood up as he watched the boy’s fingers glow with a more vibrant green, the magic working against his skin as he touched his injured palm, stopping the bleeding and closing up the skin enough for there to only be a small scar later on.

The green magic lulled Hyunjin into a trance, the fur on his back soothing down and a soft whine leaving him as the boy once again kneeled in front of him. “I just want to help you.” The cat’s eyes widened in fear but his body was frozen in place, letting the boy pick him up carefully and cradle him to his chest covered in the fur coat. A soft apology left the magic user’s lips as he unintentionally moved his declawed paw.

“Let’s go home and I’ll heal you and clean you up.”

Hyunjin smiled to himself as he continued to watch Felix cook their dinner, nose crinkling up as he welcomed the inviting smell. He ran into the boy three years ago, scared and injured, and his body had worked against his logic and trusted the boy. And Hyunjin couldn’t be happier because now he had someone he could call a friend, a soul mate, someone who gave him a home and a reason to continue living.

“What’s occupying that pretty little head of yours?” The shifter let out a laugh as Felix bumped against his shoulder playfully, drawing his attention back to him again. “Nothing, just remembering something.” He was met with an understanding look and a soft smile, warm hands ruffling his hair gently.

The magic user continued to set the table, nothing fancy, just two bowls and two sets of utensils, wiping down the table from any crumbs left on it. The stew smelt amazing, Hyunjin peering into the pot and letting out a happy yip as he saw the pieces of duck inside, mixed up with the vegetables. “Bring the pot here, stop inhaling everything.”

Hyunjin obeyed in no time, eagerly helping Felix out, pouring the stew in the bowls, placing a slice of old bread by each of them. The shifter liked food, but nothing would beat dinners, when the two of them were relaxed and had all the time in the world to talk until the food got cold and Felix would complain about it. But Hyunjin knew that secretly the boy appreciated their dinners too, when they could pretend like they had no problems and everything was perfect.

The two of them enjoyed the stew, Hyunjin sneaking a few of his duck pieces into Felix’s bowl when the other wasn’t looking. Only that the boy noticed that and would try to hide his grin, ducking his head down and pretending that he was focused on eating again.

Felix put the leftover stew away, knowing that they could eat it in the morning if he left it outside in the small shed, the weather during nights cold enough to held preserve food longer.

Hyunjin had settled down on the ground in front of the small fireplace, tossing in a few logs to keep the fire going, warming his palms up as Felix put a blanket over his shoulders, settling down by his side with a shirt in his hands, hoping to finish patching it up before they will go to bed. The fire licked at the shifter’s fingers, warming him up and his eyes watched the flames dance around gracefully.

He could feel tension in the air, a taste of coal and fire entering his nose, but he brushed it off as him being sensitive to the fire. His ears picked up a few people running down the path near their house, turning his head to look at Felix with furrowed eyebrows. But the boy was focused on sewing the hole up in the shirt, concentrating on his task, and Hyunjin shook his head, hair flying all around him. He was probably just being paranoid.

Another round of running could be heard and now Hyunjin fully paid attention to it, the browns of his eyes almost swallowed up with red, shifting all around the room before they settled onto the window. He could see an orange glow and his heart squeezed painfully, body working on autopilot as he turned and gripped onto Felix’s wrist, stopping his actions. “Hyunjin? What’s wrong?” The shifter shook his head, tongue as heavy as lead in his mouth, trying to point to the window with a shaky finger.

“Huh? What’s the problem?” Felix was about to go back to sewing the shirt up, but the shifter’s shaking frame made him face the window, eyes narrowing as he noticed the unnatural colour of the sky.

“Something’s wrong-“ Hyunjin cut him off as he jumped up, shaky legs slowly making their way to the doors of the small house, peering out to watch what was happening. Felix’s muscles tensed up as he saw the shifter’s eyes widening and heard the shouts coming from outside, the deafening sound of screams and people rushing. “Burning. Everything’s burning.”

“We need to go.” Felix rushed through the small house, throwing a pair of shirts and pants onto a cloth and tying it to a bundle, grabbing his worn out bag that had the most important vials, herbs and ointments. Hyunjin scrapped any food they could take, a block of cheese and two loafs of bread, dried up meat, some apples and a closed up pitcher of clean water, waiting for Felix anxiously by the doors, watching people rushing around, some stunned and crying, while others tried to save as much as they could.

The two of them looked back at the house one last time, Hyunjin hissing in anger as he watched one of the soldiers blow towards it, flames building up fast until the roof and the side of the house was burning. He could feel a hand tugging against his shoulder, Felix’s eyes focused on the forest, the safest way out.

The shifter groaned but turned together with him, Felix tying the bundle over his shoulder and torso and Hyunjin doing the same to the bundle with food and water, booking it to the forest. People screamed behind them and the magic user had to fight with himself to not turn around and watch, only Hyunjin helping him as he started dragging him to the forest, the sky behind them a blood orange, the trees shielding them as they entered their sanctuary, the forest’s magic welcoming the two of them warmly.

The forest’s magic concealed them, enveloping them and giving them shelter from the dangers of the fire and it’s magic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His body tried to move, he fought against it, but the fingers tapped against his temple and he could feel his eyes falling shut as if on command, his brains shutting down on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an introduction still, the plot is here but it will thicken in the next few chapters.

Hyunjin glanced around the forest, the moon high in the sky and shining brightly, giving the two of them a soft glow. The high and wide trees hid them away from the harsher winds, each of them sporting a fur coat hanging from their figures, the shifter tucking his chin into the collar of the material, sighing in relief as he got a bit of warmth.

Felix was brushing his fingers against the low branches of the trees they passed, stopping abruptly as his fingertips sparkled a bright green, Hyunjin snapping his head to look at him too with hopeful eyes, his legs heavy and throat parched. The freckled magic user focused his attention on the tree, pressing his fingers and palm up against the wood and then nodding his head as a leaf fell to the ground. “This will do, the tree’s old enough to have enough magic to sense danger.”

Hyunjin let out a sigh of relief, looking back up to the sky, the moon and the stars shining brightly, calling to their magic.

“We’ll have to use our coats as blankets.” Felix put the bundle and his bag against a tree stump, Hyunjin following after him, settling down on the ground and taking out the closed up pitcher with water. Both of them stared at the liquid for a few moments, knowing that it shouldn’t be hard to fill it up if they found any source of water, be it a river or a lake, even a pond. The shifter could just work his water magic and purify it, even if it would put a tool on his energy.

Felix had to fight with himself to only drink a few mouthfuls, Hyunjin barely taking one, both trying to hold onto the reserves for as long as possible. “It’s good that we ate at home, we’ll be able to save up our food –“ “Felix, what are we gonna do?”

Silence fell upon the two of them, only rushing wind and branches moving against each other could be heard. Hyunjin squeezed the other’s palm tightly, trying to give him strength and support as the boy thought about their future. “I grabbed the bag with my herbs and vials, we could start selling them when we’ll reach the capital?”

“We’re going to the capital?” Hyunjin let Felix snuggle into his side, draping his arm around his shoulder, sharing his own warmth with him. The two of them stayed silent for what felt like hours, the grass rustling as a fox ran out of the bush, stalking a mouse. Felix fallowed the animal with his eyes, fingers drumming over Hyunjin’s thigh. The temperature had dropped to only five degrees when during the day it had reached a whooping fifteen. The shifter was using a bit of his magic in a wave, making the air around them form a warm bubble, not letting them freeze to death as they watched the sleeping forest. A shifter being able to use both his primal and secondary natures, but the secondary one taking a huge chunk of their energy.

“The fire with move to another village, I fear only the capital will be safe.” Hyunjin shuddered at that, short fingers carding through his hair, soft green seeping into his scalp and soothing the oncoming headache. “I don’t trust the people there –“ “Neither do I, but we don’t have another choice. And the forest might protest us but we’ll have to be on the constant run.” Hyunjin grumbled at that, ghosting his lips over Felix’s temple to calm him down.

The shifter knew how badly his friend detested the capital. The people there thought they were better, thought they were more important and interesting that the ones who lived in villages or shut away from the rest of the world. They tended to treat shifters as possessions, and Hyunjin shuddered at the thought, Felix once had to fight off a rider from the capital when he came to the city and got interested in Hyunjin when he was still weak.

A harsher blow of wind moved the branches, making the two of them jump up in fright, a spark of green travelling from the ground to Felix’s palm, soothing him. The forest was calming him down, showing him that there was nothing to fear. The boy pressed the fingers of his other hand deeper upon Hyunjin’s thigh, sending calming mint colored waves to him, letting him absorb his magic.

“Won’t it be better if you’ll be in your cat form?” The shifter shook his head at that, tilting his head to the side, gazing at a bird sleeping on a thick branch, feathers ruffled and a beautiful shade of blood red. “My magic will draw others closer in my primal form. We’ll be discovered quicker.” Felix watched the other for a few beats of his heart, skin tingling as Hyunjin waved his hand, a hot gust of wind surrounding them, eyelids heavy and shoulders dropping, the arm around Felix’s shoulder slacking and relaxing as his mind got clouded.

“We’ll survive without your magic, it’s draining your energy.” Hyunjin tried to protest, but only a weak whine came out of his parted lips, Felix pushing his head onto his shoulder. “Sleep. I’ll stay awake and watch.” The shifter didn’t have enough energy to fight against the other, his eyes heavy and tightly shut in a few seconds, breathing evening out as the other carded fingers through his black hair, twirling the strands around his digits.

“We’ll be okay kitten.” Hyunjin unconsciously groaned into Felix’s neck, pressing his nose closer into his skin, breathing in his scent as he succumbed to the darkness.

The magic user tilted his head around, watching the forest, the grass swaying in the wind, flowers shielding themselves from the harsher blows. Everything shone with hues of purples and blues, the moonlight adding up to the beauty of the nature’s magic. Felix unconsciously drew some of the magic, the moon and the stars giving him strength, calling for him, Hyunjin’s reserves slowly building back as the trees wove their power around them, healing their children.

Felix could feel eyes on him, knowing that animals had sensed them, probably the braver ones had managed to stalk closer to them. He could only hope that there were no wolves around, neither him nor Hyunjin having enough magic reserved to fight more than two of them off.

The freckled boy had managed to stay awake throughout all of the night, eyes prickling as the sun started to rise, oversensitive and begging for some rest. But Hyunjin had managed to sleep for at least four hours, and that was all that mattered. Felix checked the shifter, pressing his fingers against the side of his neck, counting up the beats and the hums his touch had drawn out. Half. He had managed to get half of his strength back after using up his wind magic reserves.

He could feel the air becoming slightly warmer, his frozen nose and cheeks slowly heating up, becoming a shade redder. Hyunjin has started moving around, his head falling from the boy’s shoulder and slumping forwards, making him shot up to his feet almost comically. Felix let out a soft laugh at him, eyes twinkling and the shifter arched his back, yawning and popping his arms to get rid of the tension in his muscles.

The two of them looked through the food they had, sharing a small piece of bread each and two smaller pieces of dried up meat with a few gulps of water. “Can you feel any body of water around us?” Hyunjin closed his eyes and focused on the earth, feeling for any rush of water to the surface. His hair blew in the wind, palms giving out an icy blue glow and he moved around, rotating his body and bending down to be closer to the ground, kneeling at some point.

Felix watched him closely, making sure that Hyunjin didn’t use up too much of his magic, knowing how badly his reserves had been emptied last night. “There’s water –“ “How far away?” Hyunjin opened up his eyes, the orbs shining a bright red as he looked at the ground, following to the north and focused there for a few moments. “Maybe ten? Fifteen kilometers north?”

Their food was packed up in no time, tying their bundles over their shoulders and torsos before starting to move. Hyunjin sighed as he could feel branches moving to the side to let them pass through, the forest blessing them as they moved further into it. The tall trees became thicker with every kilometer the boy’s passed, the green swirling with soft yellows, giving off a warmer feeling. It was warm enough for mid and end of march, but cold during the nights, the boys being lucky that they took their coats with them as they fled from the village.

Hyunjin could almost feel the water rushing. It was a river. His skin tingled as he could sense the shift in the air, gripping Felix’s hand tightly, squeezing it in joy and excitement. The trees were lined by the sides of the path they took, creating a small entrance to the river, the water a clean clear shimmer. The shifter could hear fish swimming around, splashing in the water every few minutes.

“The water’s cold.” Felix had managed to take his boots off, rolling his pants up and stepping inside of the river to refresh himself, not caring about the shiver running down his back as much as he tried to pretend. Hyunjin focused on the clear smell in the air, birds flying around and chirping joyfully, a lone squirrel running down a tree only to disappear into the bushes. “Yet you’re still knee deep inside –“ “Didn’t say I didn’t like the coolness.” Felix grumbled but continued to wash his face, strands of his hair wet and droplets falling onto his shoulders, his fur coat long forgotten on the ground near the river.

Hyunjin had finished filling up the water pitcher fully, purifying it in seconds, eyes glinting a bright red before they simmered down to a more brown shade, red still swirling around. “Come on, join me!” The shifter laughed gleefully, putting the pitched down near their things and taking his coat off, stretching before taking his shoes off.

Felix could feel a wave of heat surrounding him, pleasant, but not normal for water mid March. He looked up and stared at Hyunjin, the shifter also sniffing around, sensing the change in the air and atmosphere. The water became warm all over, the earth magic user’s back shivering in fright as there was only one thought at the back of his head. Fire. There was a fire user around them and they had given him an opportunity to sneak up on them.

The boy felt semi safe knowing that he was in water and Hyunjin was a water user. But his body still tensed up, having heard stories about people being boiled alive in water by a fire user because they were vicious and wanted to entertain themselves.

A snap of a twig drew his attention to his right, a bit behind him, Hyunjin already looking in that direction, eyes wide and lips pulled into a straight line, fear clearly written all over his features. Felix could feel his fingers twitching, glowing a bright green as he stared at the man standing less that ten feet away from them. Could he even be considered a man? He was probably only a few years older than him at most, if not their age too.

But Felix’s shoulders tensed up as he could see the red glow against the other’s palms, flames licking at his skin, watching the two of them. His body was frozen in the river, even if the water itself was now warm thanks to the fire magic user.

Hyunjin watched carefully as another boy had joined the other, now the two of them watching them, the new threat not disclosing what type of magic he was gifted with. The two of them locked eyes, something familiar passing through the stranger’s face, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, the mask falling back into it’s place.

“We don’t want any troubles,” Felix gulped loudly as he tried to reason with them, eyes focused only on the fire user. “We’re just here to get some water, please let us go.” The boy had to fight back the hiss, feeling humiliated that he had to beg to get him and Hyunjin out of danger, but he had no other choice. Neither him nor the shifter had enough strength to fight back a fire user and someone who was masking their magic at the same time. Hyunjin could probably stand his ground, his magic stronger because they were by a literal river. But Felix had never considered his magic to be one for attacks, earth and it’s powers were good for defense, great for healing and sensing, the nature protecting him, but he was away from any stronger and older trees, ones that could give him enough strength to stay alive during an attack.

The fire user simply stared at him, eyes surprisingly warm, but maybe it was just an illusion. It was probably the heat of the flames licking at his insides, urging his fighting instincts. He was short, definitely about two inches shorter than him, but he had an intimidating aura. And even if he was short, he was definitely build like a fighter, wide chest and shoulders hidden under a coat and muscled thighs and calves peeking out through the opening.

Another twig snapped under the fire user’s feet as he took a step closer, Hyunjin shouting at Felix to get out of the water, to come to his side. He could sense the clear panic and fright in the shifter’s voice, laced with anger and determination. Hyunjin had always been a fighter, and if they were going to survive, it was going to be only because of him.

Felix followed every move the short male made, from the way he had tilted his head to signalize to the other, to the way his palms fell to his sides. “We’re not here to hurt you,” He took one step closer, to the point where he was standing right by the river, glancing down at the water. “We just saw you in the water.”

As the fire user crouched down, pressing his palms against the ground, Hyunjin finally snapped out of his daze and hissed loudly, his eyes swirling blood red and nails of one hand digging into his flesh. “Get away from him!” The shifter had roared, wind picking up, a wave of water rising to slam into the short male, but he had been quicker and moved away. But Hyunjin just smirked at that and whistled lowly, moving his other hand, a strong gust of wind knocking the fire user face first, making his slam the back of his head onto the ground harshly as he fell, groaning at the throbbing pain.

Felix managed to scramble out of the water as he watched Hyunjin breathing deeply, only a meter away from him when he felt like his feet became too heavy. He was frozen in place, eyes wide and staring back at the shifter who looked just as scared, mouth open in shock and hands frozen in the air as if he was still mid attack.

“Changbin, I told you to stop playing with people, I didn’t want to get involved.” Felix could feel the vibrations in the ground as someone stepped closer to him, the fire user? but he didn’t feel the tell tale sign of heat, fighting with his body to turn his head to the side, but it felt like he was being controlled, like his body wasn’t his anymore. The footsteps stopped as the person stood in front of him, he could see his features through a cloudy fog, weirdly resembling a puppy. Big eyes and a cute, a bit wide nose. Brown hair blowing in the wind.

The last thing Felix saw before fingers pressed onto his temple was Hyunjin’s eyes swirling a blood red, the fire user now standing near him, simply watching him. “Sorry that we had to do this, the idiot never listens to me.” And the boy was out, slipping into darkness.

Hyunjin tried to scream as he watched Felix fall, being easily caught by the fire user as if he weighted nothing. But those eyes were still trained on him even if he was holding Felix up, watching him, scanning over his features, stopping at his eyes and then his hand that had been declawed, the fingers not having nails on that hand as a result. He had been too preoccupied with watching him, not feeling the other person move over to him before it was too late.

His body tried to move, he fought against it, but the fingers tapped against his temple and he could feel his eyes falling shut as if on command, his brains shutting down on him.

“We have to go, we were only supposed to check up on them, not knock them out,” Changbin snorted at that, looking at the other, watching as he shifted the tall male in his arms to carry him more comfortably. “Woojin’s going to kill us both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they have met Changbin and one more mistery person? And a promise of Woojin. Next chapter will be introduction to more members fully. There will be tension


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin could only hope that the forest will not let them down as they decided to trust them for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is still not very developed, but the plot will be moving in the next chapters!

He could feel heat licking at his skin, his insides starting to burn as his heartbeat picked up, ears picking up faint noises and someone whispering from somewhere close to him. 

  
The shifter tried to move his arm, his leg, his head, anything, even his little finger, but nothing worked. It felt like some sort of power was holding him down, as if his body was bound down by something invisible, his eyes could only stare at the darkening sky, no clouds whatsoever and the faintest lines of stars forming. And then his blood ran cold. Felix. Where was he? Was he safe? Hyunjin did not know what he was going to do if the fire user managed to hurt him. 

  
He could still hear whispering, now joined in with more voices, becoming louder, and he tried to focus on the words. Them. Safe. Alone. Scared. Chan. He tried to tie the words together, but nothing. Nothing made sense. He could understand that they were talking about them, probably that they were enemies. He had to make sure that Felix was safe. 

  
“Oh. Chan hyung, the shifter’s awake.” Shit. Hyunjin let out mental curses. They knew that he was awake, they could probably sense his anxiety and fear. But if they haven’t killed him, maybe Felix was alive too. He could feel someone coming closer, wind licking at his cheek almost like it was trying to calm him down, as if someone had ordered it to comfort him. A finger brushed up against the side of his neck and he would have jumped high into the air if his body wasn’t weighting him down so much. 

  
“I’m going to unfreeze your body, but you have to not scream. I won’t hesitate to control your body again.” Hyunjin couldn’t even nod his head in agreement, his fingers starting to twitch back to life as the side of his neck was probed with a finger, pressing against a pressure point. The shifter hadn’t even taken notice of the slight tingling he had been feeling at the back of his neck. The boy’s eyes slowly focused back, shifting to the side, taking in the boy by his side. It was the one who was with the fire user, so he could control others? Hyunjin took note of that and stored the information in the back of his head. 

  
His lips were chapped and throat dry as he parted them, tongue heavy as he tried to speak. His eyes darted to his other side and someone helped him sit up. It was a boy with eyes full of mischief and lips stretched into a gentle and understanding smile. Hyunjin stared at him for a few seconds before he almost flinched away from him, fire licking at him again. 

  
“W – where’s Fel – Felix?” The shifter almost growled at himself for stuttering, for looking weak in front of people. But his priority was finding his friend and making sure that they were going to get out of this situation alive. His eyes were darting from side to side, taking notice that he was in a campsite, and could feel that there were six other people. And Felix. He could easily distinguish the other’s energy, pulsing with life, but a bit weaker than what he was used to. 

  
He could feel more than see one of the six people moving closer to him, and his pulse calmed down. It was a wind user. His shifter side could easily recognize the familiar energy, skin buzzing and his nose was filled up with the scent of berries, blueberries if he was correct. His fingers twitched again as he turned his head to the side, now the other in full view for him. 

  
The boy, he definitely couldn’t be older than Hyunjin himself, was some sort of a bird shifter. His hair was a fiery red, reminding him of the red stomached tit birds in the forest. Felix always loved them and would feed them bread crumbs whenever they would fly to him. The boy had a wide smile plastered over his features, eyes sharp yet still soft enough to make him want to trust him. “Is Felix your friend’s name?” 

  
Hyunjin once again growled at that, nodding his head rapidly and searching with his eyes around the campsite, head swimming as his gaze focused on someone lying by the fire. He could easily recognize the hair and the nose, lips curling into a frown as he watched the other for a few seconds. He could see that Felix was still sleeping, but his fingers were starting to twitch too. The power holding onto him must have been lifted off of him just after Hyunjin was freed. 

  
“Do you want to go over to him?” Hyunjin almost hissed at the other in offence. Of course he wanted to go over to his friend. He had to make sure that Felix was actually alright. Even if the boy had the forest and mother earth looking after him, Hyunjin could never be too sure. So he tried to get onto his feet, swaying a bit and stumbling as he took the first step. A hand grasped onto his elbow, steadying him, his insides twisted as he could see that it was the fire user. His heart slammed again his ribcage painfully and he almost jumped away from him. 

  
The short male frowned at that, but still stepped away, letting Hyunjin stumble around the campfire, six pairs of eyes watching him as he fell onto his knees next to Felix’s head, shaking fingers combing through the other’s hair. It was soft under his touch, even if they hadn’t exactly showered for almost a week. His fingers ran over the side of the other’s neck, pressing against his pulse and counting the beats, breathing out a sigh of relief. He could see Felix’s eyelashes fluttering, almost like he was trying to open his eyes. 

  
His fingers pressed a little bit harder into the other’s flesh, making Felix flinch, but it did it’s job, his eyes flew open and the first person he saw was Hyunjin. The boy breathed out a sigh of relief, but then his pulse quickened again, eyes shifting to the side and noticing the other six people watching the two of them. 

  
Felix managed to move his fingers to press them into Hyunjin’s palm, the fingertips a soft shade of green as he checked him, his magic twisting with the shifter’s, pulsing rhythmically as his brows furrowed. They hadn’t blocked away their powers. Weird. The boy tilted his head to the side, peeking out from behind Hyunjin to look at one of the men, not that much older than him. He could recognize the fire user and the one who had probably immobilized them, but the other four were new. 

  
The one with beautiful grey eyes took a step closer to the two of them, Hyunjin automatically tensing up and Felix pressing his palm to the ground, the earth rumbling underneath his fingers gently, in a response to him. A man with curly brown hair stopped the other with his arm, making the grey eyed beauty step back with a frown marring his features. Felix didn’t think that expression fit him well. “Do you have earth magic?” 

  
“Jisung, of course he has earth magic!” Felix grabbed onto Hyunjin’s left shoulder as he sat up, his other palm still pressed to the ground, now glowing a deeper shade of green, his magic travelling through the earth and licking at the feet of the other people. One of them shrieked, the one who they named Jisung, looking at him with wide eyes, the one with curly hair squeezing his shoulder in comfort. 

  
“Calm down Sungie, he’s sensing us, wants to know if we are a threat or not.” Hyunjin had his eyes on the fire user as he felt for Felix’s magic, relaxing the slightest bit when the calming waves hit him. The forest was telling the other that there was no danger, that they were safe. 

  
“Why did you knock us out then?” Felix’s voice sounded strong, Hyunjin breathing out another sigh of relief and he could sense wind licking at his cheek again, eyes focusing on the bird shifter, the other giving him a small wink and another wide smile. “We had to make sure that you’re not dangerous to us. We can’t just ask the forest because it won’t answer to us.” It almost looked like the fire user pouted at that, Hyunjin tilting his head to the side in confusion. He definitely didn’t fit the whole image of a rough and vulgar warrior. 

  
“You know, you could have just asked us.” A laugh could be heard and the fire user was shoved into his shoulder by the one possessing the power to control them. “See! I told you that we could have just asked them!” 

  
Felix watched them as Hyunjin helped him sit more comfortably, the earth rumbling under him again, sending signals of warmth and safety. The forest had never lied to him before, so for now, they could trust them to not hurt them. 

  
“Why did you take us here?” The bird shifter had made his way over to the two of them, Hyunjin watching him with curious eyes as he kneeled down by the fire, smiling at them widely. “The idiots couldn’t just leave you there.” A low grumble of call us idiots again, I dare you could be heard, and Felix had to fight back his laughter. For a bunch of magic users, they were definitely not intimidating whatsoever. 

  
“Where were you two going?” Hyunjin and Felix shared a look, silently asking each other if they should answer to them, if they should trust them. And the earth magic user nodded his head after a few seconds, never having doubted the forest before. “To the capital.” They were met with a few surprised looks and an excited yelp from the bird shifter. “We are going there too!” 

  
“Jeongin, please don’t expose our plan unless you want someone to try and kill us.” Hyunjin let out a snort at that, the boy, Jisung, looking at him with wide eyes before he ducked his head low, cheeks dusting over with a soft shade of pink. The bird shifter gave the two of them another mischievous smile and winked, making Felix smile back at him softly. “You should stay with us here, at least for the night. It’s not safe to move around at this point.” 

  
Hyunjin tugged Felix a little bit closer to him, his lips pressed to the other’s ear, whispering so that the others couldn’t hear them. “Are you sure we can actually trust them?” The two of them stayed silent for a few seconds, watching each other, before Felix nodded his head. “The forest says they’re not dangerous, the trees are really silent and that only happens when there is zero evil around.” Hyunjin glanced at the fire user again, his skin buzzing. “Jinnie, let’s stay for the night, they have fire and it’s warm and we’ll leave in the morning.” 

  
“Felix.” Hyunjin gave the boy a warning look, eyes screaming at him to mean it, to make sure that they were safe. “It’s gonna be okay Jinnie, I’ll ask the forest to protect us, I’ll even offer some of my magic to it to watch over us more.” Hyunjin gave him a halfhearted glare but still nodded his head, knowing that the forest and the trees will never let Felix get hurt. Even the flowers bowed to him as he walked by, swaying and touching his ankles. “Okay, but we leave tomorrow in the morning.” 

  
Felix smiled at him in relief, giving Hyunjin’s cheek a soft pat, three pairs of eyes watching the two of them carefully. “Thank you, we’ll stay here for the night and will leave in the morning.” The curly haired male smiled at him, dimples showing, Felix’s magic pulsing through his veins. He could feel it calling to him, drawing him to the other and he gripped onto Hyunjin’s hand a little bit tighter. 

  
“Would you like some meat?” Hyunjin’s eyes snapped to the fire at that, lips twitching and nose crinkling as the scent of fried meet entered it. He could easily recognize wild boars. They must have hunted it down. Felix shuddered as he watched the burned animal, eyes dazed as he once again pressed his palm upon the ground. His magic once again glowed a soft green, travelling deeper, apologizing to the forest for taking an innocent life away. 

  
Some of the meat on a thin piece of wood was placed into Hyunjin’s hand, the shifter sniffing at it, not picking up any poison. With long fingers, he picked up a small piece and placed it into his mouth, slowly chewing and salivating at the rich taste. Felix watched him for a few seconds, his own stomach grumbling, but the ground rumbling underneath him, making him turn down the meat that was offered to him. 

  
“Thank you. I don’t want the forest to be angry with me so I can’t eat it’s animals that I didn’t hunt down myself.” Hyunjin gave him a soft nudge as an apology for eating, Felix simply smiling at him without any anger. “But thank you for feeding my friend.” 

  
Felix watched with confused eyes but a soft smile as the boy with pretty grey eyes slowly walked over to him with a piece of the thin wood in his hand, crouching down in front of him. “You should still eat,” The boy was about to decline the food, knowing that his magic will just decline it and he will throw up again, but the other shook his head and pushed the wood closer to him. “There’s no meat, only some potatoes and carrots that were fried, we bought them in a village we passed by.” 

  
Felix cautiously took the thin piece of wood, staring down at the food on it before looking back at the other. “Can I know your name?” The grey eyes shone with something Felix couldn’t recognize, but it made his stomach twist in excitement and his pulse quicken up again. “Minho, my name is Minho.” The two of them shared a gentle smile, Hyunjin letting out a silent curse at the other for being too trusting. “May I know your name?” “I’m Felix, thank you so much for feeding us and letting us stay with you for the night.” 

  
Minho simply shrugged his shoulders while he gave him another small smile, eyes twinkling as he stared at his freckles for a few seconds longer before he went back to the side of the fire user. 

  
“I’m Jeongin! I could sense that you are a shifter too! I haven’t actually been around one in so long.” Hyunjin almost choked on the meat as he tried to turn to his side, to face the other. “You’re a cat shifter, right?” Felix watched the two of them as he placed a piece of the potato into his mouth, sighing at the heavenly feeling of warm food. 

  
“How did you know?” Jeongin grinned even wider if that was possible, eyes glinting and hair shining a bright red. “I’m a phoenix shifter! Our senses are very strong.” Hyunjin’s eyes widened at that, a phoenix shifter being a very rare person to come across, their feathers very valuable. If this Jeongin boy trusted the group he was in, it was more likely than not that they were safer with them than alone. And now that the boy had told him about his shifter nature, Hyunjin could almost smell it on him. On his bright hair and sunny smile. 

  
Felix stared at the fire for a few seconds, eyes glinting a liquid gold as his fingers curled into the grass underneath him. He could feel someone sitting down next to him and his shoulders tensed up, body freezing over in fear and then relaxing when he felt the pull of his magic. It was the curly haired boy, the one who had the charming dimples and looked like he could calm even a bull down. 

  
“Felix, right?” He nodded his head, a nervous smile making it’s way over his features, eyes still glinting gold as he turned to face him now. “You can sleep by the fire, I know it gets really cold at night, we have some more fur coats if you need them. “

  
The freckled boy tensed up again, remembering about their own things, the food they still had and their worn out, but still warm coats. And his vials. The boy jumped up to his feet, scaring some of the others and Hyunjin jumped up after him, running to his side. “Lix? What’s wrong? Did he hurt you?” The tall shifter glared at the other who was still by Felix’s side, a warning growl coming from Jisung. “Don’t talk about Chan hyung like that!” 

  
Jisung was shushed quickly by the fire user, Minho watching Felix as his eyes flew all around the campsite. “Did you leave our bundles by the river?” The boy had started to move in the direction of the water, knowing that his vials were too precious to be left just like that. If he sold them, him and Hyunjin could live for at least four months without any worries. But his shoulder was squeezed tightly, stopping him in his rushing, making him turn around and look at the phoenix shifter. 

  
“You don’t have to worry! Hyungs took your coats and bundles with them when they took you, it’s right there.” Jeongin pointed at the bundles by the trees and Felix almost ran to them, frantically searching through one of them and finding his bag underneath it, vials safe and not crushed. He breathed out a sigh of relief, Hyunjin settling by his side as he came back to the fire.

  
“So, mind telling us why you are going to the capital?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this as less messy as possible! Only Woojin is left to be introduced.   
> Changbin = fire magic  
> Jeongin = Phoenix shifter/Wind magic  
> Others = not specified yet. 
> 
> Also, I have decided to join stan twitter because I have no irl kpop friends, so if you want to, come cry over stray kids with me [glitterbokkie](https://Twitter.com/glitterbokkie)

**Author's Note:**

> Felix = earth/healing magic, draws strength out of nature.  
> Hyunjin = a cat shifter, weaker magic because of one declawed paw, water magic


End file.
